When Fire and Earth Collide
by FireWriter316
Summary: Series of one-shots. Cole and Kai fights/arguments/moments! No slash! Just friendship. Rating changed to T for violence and mentions of death.
1. When Fire and Earth Collide

"You're such a idiot!" He roared, rising above the shorter boy.

"Oh, I'm an idiot?! What about you? We couldn't just let them get away!" Kai countered, not willing to back down.

He didn't care how much taller or stronger his friend was than him. Cole could do nothing to scare him. Besides, Kai could never back down from a fight. He had to defend his pride.

"We were way outnumbered! It was completely stupid to jump right in without a plan!" Cole's dark eyes flashed with anger. He was the leader, and he was going to make his point.

"There was no time to make a plan, Cole! And now because I was the only one that could keep my head and run after them, they got away! If you all would've helped me..." Kai was sharply cut off by Cole.

"It wasn't the time to attack, Kai. When are you going to learn that not every fight can be won? Even if you were not in the position to fight, the rest of us were not." Cole was attempting to turn his angry words into a calmer tone. He thought it worked some on rubbing off on his fiery friend, when Kai responded with a milder voice.

"Well, I guess that means I'm a better ninja than the rest of you." Kai spun on his heel and walked away before the ninja of earth, Cole, could say another word. _Well, that backfired._

"Kai!" Cole shouted after the fire ninja had left the bedroom. "Don't you walk away from me!" He followed after Kai, his footsteps loud and heavy.

Kai was walking down the hallway towards the living room, obviously fuming. His footsteps were quickly paced. Cole yanked on the back of Kai's red ninja gi and slammed him against the wall. At first, Kai's brown eyes showed surprise, but he quickly covered it. He made sure to look unfazed.

"Listen to me, Kai," Cole said between his teeth. "I'm sick of your snarky attitude and the way you've acting to this whole team. But, it's even worse when you know I'm the leader, yet you still disrespect my word. Why can't you just listen to me for once?" He noticed Kai's grimace of pain and loosened his grip on him a bit. He hadn't realized he had been pressing so hard.

"Because," Kai was saying. "I don't always believe your word is the way to go. We could've easily taken down those guys today, one less problem for tomorrow. Why wouldn't you want that?"

"I would want that, Kai," Cole said. "But I also want my team to be safe, more than anything else. You almost got yourself killed today." His tone softened at this part, and he let go of his friend.

His best friend. Kai looked down at his feet, brown hair sweeping across his forehead. Cole could never stay mad for long, and even though Kai liked to pretend I could, the ninja of earth knew him better.

Kai's anger was always quick, witty, and hot, but it didn't last long. Especially with Cole. After all, who could stay mad at a best friend? A best friend (and a leader) that had saved your skin countless times and still had the strength to forgive you. No one could stay mad at someone who did that.

"Sorry," Kai muttered, pushing a rough hand through his hair. He only did that when he was regretting a poor decision, giving in, or troubled about something else. So, Cole knew the master of fire was being sincere.

"Hey." Cole put a gentler, but firm and on his friend's shoulder. "I forgive you, okay?" Kai glanced up at him with apologetic brown eyes, and Cole continued. "But you gotta learn to listen to me sometime, man. I'm sorry if you don't always agree with my instructions, but I have to keep this team together. It might not always make sense what I'm saying at a certain moment, but I guarantee you'll understand later. Just trust me." He waited for an answer, and when one didn't come, he said, "Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Kai replied with his usual casual tone. Cole wasn't sure if he should take it as disrespectful, or if Kai was teasing.

"Hey, I..."

"Chill out, Cole," Kai said. He had that familiar smirk plastered on his face. "I'm messing with you."

"Chill out?" Cole raised his eyebrows. It was his turn to tease. "Never thought I'd hear you say that, master of fire." He grinned, and Kai rolled his eyes.

Cole reached out to ruffle Kai's already ruffled hair, and together they walked down the hallway.


	2. Grocery Shopping

**Here you go! Just another lovely Kai/Cole one-shot written by my sister and I. No slash, just friendship/brotherly stuff.**

 **Warning: This gets a little crazy!**

 **(Also, comment if you want a sequel. I have one at the ready but it contains Sensei and the other ninja, too.)**

* * *

They made a silent agreement after the day was over: they were never going grocery shopping again.

It was early morning when they decided to pile in the team's beat up old pickup truck and take a ride into the city. Gray light seeped through the clouds.

A dark-haired teen sat in the driver's seat, maneuvering the vehicle down the empty highway, while his partner sat next to him with his feet up on the dash. He wore sunglasses, even though it couldn't have been past 7 in the morning. He wouldn't stop changing the radio station, and didn't seem to notice that his friend was constantly glancing over at him in annoyance.

"Can't you just pick a song, Kai?" the driver finally asked. Kai flipped off his sunglasses and glared at his friend. The music stopped on a song with these words: _yeah we got the fire, fire, fire. And we gonna let it burn, burn, burn…_

Cole raised an eyebrow. "Really, Kai? This is what you pick?"

"Hey, this was just the next song!" Kai said defensively.

"Change it."

Kai quickly changed the station: _Ice ice baby…_

"Are you serious?" Kai muttered. Cole chuckled, but pretended to be mad at the music situation.

Kai changed stations again: _I wanna know…have you ever seen the rain coming down on a sunny day…_ and he face-palmed, removing his feet from the dash.

"Alright, let me try," Cole said. "This has got to be a set up."

He pressed the arrow to change the station and the words blared: _I went skydiving, I went rocky mountain climbing…_

Cole's eyes widened. "Seriously? This is unreal." He flipped to the next station.

At first it seemed alright, with the words being: _I know you hear me know…we are a different kind…we can do anything…_

"Okay, here we go," Cole said. He settled back in the seat and set his eyes on the road. But the chorus…Kai had to cover his mouth to stifle his rising laughter.

 _We could be heroes, me and you!_

"That's it!" Cole slammed on the breaks, causing Kai to jerk forward and slam his head on the windshield.

"Ow, dude!" Kai rubbed his throbbing head, and watched in horror as Cole punched the radio, smashing it inside out.

They sat in silence for a long time. When Kai finally looked over at Cole, he had the look on his face like: _what did I just do?_

"Did you just…" Kai started.

"I think so."

"The radio…Sensei's gonna be so mad, Cole. You're dead."

"So dead."

* * *

They made it to the grocery store as the sun was making an appearance on the horizon.

"Do you have the list?" Cole asked.

Kai looked up, tugging on his red hoodie, nervously. "I thought you had it," he said.

Cole stopped in his tracks. "Uh oh."

They ran back to the red truck and flung the doors open. The truck was ransacked, but Cole finally had to pull out his phone to call Sensei Wu, having not found the list.

"Hello?" the teacher's voice came over the line.

"Yeah, Sensei. It's Cole," Cole said. "Kai and I…kind of lost the..." Suddenly, Kai started waving a piece of paper in Cole's face, wildly.

"Yes, Cole?" Sensei Wu asked.

"Uh…never mind! Sorry to bother you, Sensei," Cole replied. "Bye!" He hung up and slipped his phone back in his pocket. He looked up at Kai. "You couldn't have found that a second earlier?"

"My bad." Kai shrugged. He handed the list to Cole and hopped out of the truck, slamming the door behind him. "Let's just get this over with."

"Sounds good to me," Cole said.

Once in the store, Cole glanced down at the list to get the first item. Instead, all he saw were random letters that he couldn't read. Quickly, he scanned the rest of the list.

"You've got to be kidding me," Cole whispered.

Kai looked over from the video games he was staring at. "What?" He asked. Cole shoved the list in his face, and Kai scanned it.

"No…way," Kai complained. "I can't even read this! It's like in a different language!"

"I know. Sensei must've been in Spanish mode when he wrote this. Give it to me," Cole demanded. He took the list back and studied it. "Oh, hey. There's an app for this, right? Get your phone out."

Kai pulled his iPhone from his hoodie pocket, and searched the app store for a language translator.

"Here we go. What's the first word?" Kai asked, phone ready.

Cole looked at him. "I can't pronounce it, dummy. That's why we need the app!"

"Just tell me the letters, then."

Instead, Cole just handed him the list. "Just read it yourself."

They stood there for several minutes while Kai struggled to type in the first word. Finally, he had it and announced the item to Cole.

"Alright, we need five containers of…gummy vitamins?" Kai wrinkled his nose. "Why the heck would we need that?"

"I have no idea, but let's just do it," Cole said. "Who knows? Maybe Sensei wants us to boost our metabolisms."

"Shut up."

"Okay, so we have five bottles of gummy vitamins, three gallons of pomegranate juice, five Bibles, six rolls of wrapping paper, and some other stuff…what is this red thing?" Kai asked, looking up at Cole.

"Huh?" Cole asked, distractedly. He looked at what Kai was pointing to. "Oh…I have no idea."

"Alrighty, then." Kai looked at the list again. "Anything else we need?"

"I don't know," Cole said. "Maybe, something normal? Did we even get toilet paper? I know we're out of that."

Kai blew out a breath. "That's not what the list says, but we better get some."

"To the toilet paper?"

Kai nodded. "And we better get bread and cheese, too. That wasn't on the list either. Man, why did Sensei think we needed mascara? I didn't even know Nya wore makeup." He shrugged and followed Cole to the toilet paper aisle.

They walked up to the cashier and started to set things up on the counter. Before long, they had everything checked out.

"That will be $383 please," the cashier lady said. Kai had been staring in a daze at her, but when he heard the price, he snapped out of his trance.

"Excuse me?" Cole asked, as if he hadn't heard her right.

"All of this will cost $383," she replied. Kai and Cole just stood there, mouths wide open. Finally, Cole asked,

"What should we do?"

"We need all this stuff, so we just have to pay for it," Kai answered.

"Okay," Cole said, hesitant. He handed the lady the team's debit card.

They paid for their things, and after several minutes of rearranging and adjusting, they managed to get the groceries out to the truck. Or, almost to the truck. Just as Kai reached the truck, one of his bags broke, spilling its contents, including a bottle of gummy vitamins. Cole didn't have time to react. He slipped over the rolling bottle and went splat on the concrete.

"I thought gummy vitamins were supposed to help you," Cole groaned.

"Sorry, Cole!" Kai set his bags in the back of the truck, then went over to help him up. Kai grabbed the things that Cole had dropped, set them in the truck, then climbed into the driver's seat.

"Hey! Since when do you get to drive?" Cole protested.

Kai gave him a smirk, threw his sunglasses on, then said, "Since you drove this morning."

Cole sighed. "Whatever, bozo. Just don't crash."

"Like I would ever do that."

* * *

"Oh, dude," Kai said excitedly. "You see that girl over there, Cole?" He nodded his head toward the person driving the car next to them.

"Keep your eyes on the road, Kai."

"No, seriously, bro. Look at her! She's beautiful." Kai sighed dreamily. "See, look."

Cole put his head in his hands. "I'm not looking, but you need to!" He pointed ahead just as Kai rammed into the car ahead. "Now, look what you did, Kai! Nice going."

"Well, I…" Kai started. The man in the other car jumped out and slammed his door. He looked extremely angry.

"Are you kidding me?" He screamed. "Look what you did to my new Honda!" Then he chucked a water bottle at their windshield.

He rattled on and on while Kai just sat there, letting his anger boil up. He was silent, but Cole could see the dangerous expression on his friend's face. Kai was about to explode.

"Kai…don't you dare get out of this ca…" But Kai was already gone. "Kai!" Cole watched as Kai tackled the other man to the side of the road. Not many other cars were around which was good, but still.

Kai threw punch after punch at the man while the man attempted to return them. Then, Cole was there, grabbing Kai and hauling him back towards the car. There was no way Kai would get away from Cole's grip, but he struggled anyway.

"Get a hold of yourself, Kai!" Cole yelled. He threw his friend against the car to shock him out of his rage, but then felt someone pounding against his back. The older man was still trying to attack.

It didn't hurt Cole, but the fact that it was there made him mad.

"Would you quit it?" Cole screamed, slamming a fist into the man's gut.

The guy crumpled and coughed, as he crawled urgently back to his car and swerved away, leaving Cole and Kai with the flashing lights and the sirens, wondering what they had just done.

Before they could process what was happening, they were behind bars.


	3. Grocery Shopping Pt 2

**Here we are with Grocery Shopping Pt. 2 (Confession Time;)) Sooo I know some of it's inaccurate, but whatevs, it's cool right?**

 **And to answer reviews:**

 **Kairocksrainbows - Yeah...they're definitely in jail...hehe. And I love them, too!**

* * *

Sensei Wu waited as long as he could for his other students to return, but when the clock hit 10 o'clock, he began training the other three. His mind was distracted, though, wondering what was keeping Cole and Kai away so long. Then, he got the call.

"Mr. Wu?" a gruff voice came over the line.

"Yes?"

"I have two boys, here, one a minor and one not, both in holding cells. Do the names Kai Bliens and Cole Brookstone mean anything to you?"

Sensei's mouth was in a grim line. "Yes, those are my students. What have they done?"

"I have word they attacked a citizen after a minor car accident. We don't have proof of their reasons," the police officer explained.

"Oh, dear. May I speak with them, please?" Sensei asked. He kept his voice level, but he didn't feel the way he sounded. He was angry and concerned all at once. But, surely Kai and Cole wouldn't have attacked an innocent person without reason. Right?

Kai's voice came over the line. "Hey, Sensei." His voice was quiet and tentative, nothing like he usually sounded.

"Kai, tell me what has happened," then he changed his mind. "Can I talk to Cole?"

"Sorry, they told me Cole couldn't talk because he wasn't a minor. But…I can try to explain," Kai replied.

"What is it you have done?"

Kai swallowed. "Well, you see…I was driving. There was this girl and…she was…I got distracted and hit the car in front of us. Both our cars seemed alright, but the guy got really upset. He started yelling and threw a water bottle at our windshield. I…well, I lost it, Sensei. My temper."

"What did you do?"

At this point, Kai was dripping with a cold sweat. His hands trembled as he gripped the phone. He was ashamed of what he had done, and he didn't want his teacher to know. But he had to be honest.

"I threw punches, Sensei," Kai said. "He threw some back, but it…well, it was mostly me. Cole grabbed me and pulled me to the car, but the guy kept attacking him. Cole punched him in the gut, and the guy ran off leaving us to the police." There was a long, uncomfortable moment of silence. Sensei was contemplating his emotions and his next words.

"I'm…well, I'm sorry, Sensei," Kai managed. Sensei thought his student sounded close to tears, meaning he was actually sorry. "Our job is to protect, but I didn't do that here. And, uh…don't blame Cole. It was my fault, and even though he punched the guy, he was the one that pulled me back and stopped me from doing something worse."

Sensei drew a long, shaky breath. "I am disappointed with both of you, yes. But, angry? No, Kai. I am not angry. I knew eventually your temper would cause you trouble, and possibly the team, as well. But, given time, I know you will make this right."

"Yes, Sensei. I'll do anything to fix what I did."

"And that is why I am not angry," Sensei continued. "You know your actions were wrong, and you are more than willing to correct them. I will come pick you up from the station."

"Thank you, Sensei."

"Of course, Kai."

* * *

When Sensei Wu saw the boys, it looked like they had switched personalities. Kai looked like he had been crying, and Cole was banging his head on the wall.

"Oh, hey, Sensei," Kai said, wiping away his tears.

"Hello, Kai. Hello, Cole," Sensei Wu said. "Let's go."

The door of bars was opened for them. Cole stared at the ground, as did Kai.

In the parking lot, Cole hopped in the newly dented truck, while Kai hopped in the passenger seat of the car Sensei had brought.

Kai and Cole were both not looking forward to facing their other teammates. But they had to get back to the Bounty eventually, and everyone else would be there.

When they arrived home, they were met by a flood of questions. But, both of them just walked silently past. Cole into their room, slamming the door, which made the walls shake. Kai into the living room, face down on the couch.

"Where were you guys?" the question repeated over and over. Kai finally had to give in and explain what had happened.

"We went to jail," Kai said, his voice muffled from being stuffed in the couch.

"What?" Kai's sister, Nya, asked.

"We went to jail," Kai repeated, still muffled.

"Kai, none of us can understand you. So get your head out of that couch now!" Jay screeched.

"WE WENT TO JAIL!" Kai roared, lifting his head up from the couch. "HAPPY NOW?!" He stormed off to the deck, with everyone following. And before anyone could stop him, he jumped off the Bounty.

"Kai!" Everyone cried. But they relaxed some when they saw he used Airjitzu to land safely.

It was soon decided that Nya and Lloyd would go talk to Kai, while Jay and Zane (mostly Jay) would attempt to talk to Cole.

They walked over to the room that they shared.

"Cole?" Jay asked, knocking on the door. No reply. Jay tried to open the door, but it was locked.

"Cole?" Zane repeated.

"Cole's not here," Cole conveniently said.

"Okay. I guess we'll go away," Jay said. "But if you feel like talking about it, Zane and Jay won't be here."

"Good, I don't want to talk about it, and I'm not going to unlock this door," Cole said. But then they heard footsteps and the lock turning. The door slowly opened.

"Okay, let's not talk about this," Jay smirked, walking into the room. "Don't come in, Zane." The nindroid, not understanding the joke, said,

"Okay." He started walking away.

"Just get in here," Jay responded. Zane turned around and walked into the room.

"Okay Cole, what didn't happen?" Jay asked, flopping down on his bed.

Cole thought a moment. "Well, let me see. I didn't destroy the radio in our truck, the grocery list wasn't in Spanish, we didn't spend $383 on groceries, we didn't get in a car wreck, Kai didn't start fighting a man, I didn't punch the man, and we didn't go to jail."

"What?!" Jay screeched, staring at him.

"Let me just start from the beginning." Cole sighed.

* * *

When Nya and Lloyd found Kai, he was sitting in the shade of a tall tree, plucking grass from the ground nervously.

"Hey, Kai," Nya said softly. "Can we sit?" He looked up sharply.

"No, you have to stay standing," Kai replied sarcastically. "Of course you can sit." They sunk down next to him.

This time Lloyd spoke up. "So, what happened today? You and Cole are acting like you had the worst day ever. Why were you in jail?"

Kai glared at him. "Way too many questions for me to answer at once. Plus, I'd rather not answer them." He leaned back and stared at the racing clouds.

Nya sighed, and said, "Well, you're gonna have to."

"Why?" Kai shouted, jumping to his feet. "So, I can tell you how stupid I was?"

"Come on, Kai," Lloyd said. He got to his feet, as well. "We're not here to make fun of you. We want to help."

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, Lloyd. But, the only way you can fix this day is if you could make it go away. And you can't." Kai turned away and folded his arms.

"Actually…" Lloyd said, tapping his chin.

"No, Lloyd! You can't," Kai said. "Just because you're the green ninja, doesn't mean you can fix everything! When are you gonna get it in your head, that you are just not that powerful?"

"Kai..." Lloyd stepped up and rested his hand on Kai's shoulder. Kai flung his hand off and turned around to face him.

"Go away." He shoved Lloyd away from him. Lloyd and Nya stared at the fire ninja in shock.

"Kai, stop it!" Nya shouted. "What is wrong with you?" She closed the gap between her and her brother. "You might've thought you were stupid today with Cole, but at least you weren't acting like a total jerk! We'll leave you alone, now. Come on, Lloyd." She stormed off, and Lloyd just stood there staring at Kai. Hurt shone in his eyes.

"You're better than this, Kai. I thought you were supposed to protect me. You really let me down," Lloyd said. His voice was quiet, but pained. He walked away much slower, getting faster with each step.

Kai watched as he and Nya spun up to the ship with airjitzu. When they were out of sight, Kai yelled in frustration as he spun and threw a ball of fire at the tree. In seconds, the tree was engulfed in flames, but Kai's face had never been more wet…with tears.

* * *

When Lloyd and Nya got back on deck, they ran into a much happier Jay and Zane. Unfortunately, their faces didn't share the same glow.

"Where's Kai?" Jay asked. Lloyd sighed, as he pointed to the ground below.

"Oh," Jay said, realizing what he meant.

"How's Cole?" Nya probed.

Zane answered this time, "He is fine, but he is still in his room."

"I'm glad you guys had better luck than us," Lloyd said, walking away towards their room and flopping down on the bed.

"Didn't have much luck with Kai?" Cole asked Lloyd. He shook his head. That was all that Cole needed. He jumped off his bed, ran to the deck, and (using airjitzu) was on the ground before anyone could stop him.

It wasn't very hard to find Kai; he could see the burning tree next to him. He had his back turned to Cole.

"Kai?" Cole asked, once he was closer. Kai didn't turn around, but he tried to stop crying.

"Yeah?" Kai asked.

"What's wrong?" Cole probed. No answer. "Kai, you have to talk to me."

"No, I don't," Kai said. Then, Cole tackled him.

"Dude, get off of me!" Kai shouted.

"I thought you didn't need to talk to me," Cole responded, smiling.

"That was BEFORE you tackled me!" Kai started fighting back, but he couldn't get away from Cole's grip.

Cole smirked at his attempts and kept him pinned down. "You know I'm stronger than you."

"This isn't fair!" Kai cried.

"It kind of is," Cole said. "You have fire power! I have EARTH! WHAT KIND OF POWER IS EARTH?! It's only fair that I also get super strength."

Kai sighed, "Whatever."

"Now you ready to talk?" Cole asked.

"What's needed to say? You were there for the whole thing," Kai said.

"But I can't read your thoughts, bozo. What's really bothering you?" Cole probed.

Kai turned his head away. "Cole, you know how it is being a ninja. We're supposed to protect people. But I didn't do that today. I did the complete opposite."

"Kai…" Cole started. "Don't beat yourself up so much. I attacked him, too."

"After trying to stop me!" Kai screeched. "I went to jail! And I brought you with me."

"I also lost my temper," Cole said. "It was probably me the police saw. I went to jail and brought you with me.

"But you had to pull me back from the man! He started attacking you because of me."

"But…but I'm the leader. I shouldn't have let you hit the car. I shouldn't have let you get out of the car. I should have stopped you before you threw the first punch. But I didn't. Instead, I punched the man, making both of us go to jail." Cole got off of Kai. He offered his hand to Kai, and Kai took it.

"Cole…" Kai started. "It wasn't your fault. I know that you wanted to stop me from making those choices, but I was the one who made them. What happened today was both of our faults. We can't change the past, but we can affect the future."

"You're starting to sound like Sensei," Cole said, with a smile. "But you're right."

"Cole! Kai!" they heard Sensei's angry voice shout.

"Oh boy," Kai said.

"We forgot to tell Sensei about the car, didn't we?" Cole said.

"Yeah. And the groceries."

They sprinted over to where the cars were parked.

* * *

 **So, let me know what you think in the comments! I know some of the emotions were v uncharacteristic, like Kai crying and whatnot. I just thought it'd be good to make him feel very guilty about getting sent to jail - after all, they are supposed to be protecting people, not hurting them!**

 **I'll let you in on a secret, though: Kai's my fave ninja...! 3**

 **Let me know yours in the reviews! Thanks guys!**


	4. Kai's Nightmare Pt 1

**Hey guys! ChristianWriter316 younger sister here!**

 **This is a story about Kai Flamey, who has a nightmare about how his parents died. It is very sad, so if you don't like sad things, you should turn back. But, there are also some very heart-touching moments, especially if you are a fan of Ninjago.**

 **KRR, a person who read one of my sister's and I other stories, requested that my sister make a story like this. My sister asked me to try and write it, so she could see how I would do it. It's not because I'm a better writer than her. Trust me. She's better.**

 **Hope ya'll like it! Please comment on what you thought, or how I can make it better! Read some of our other stories, too! ;)**

* * *

"Hey daddy! Look at this!" the small six-year-old, dark brown haired boy cried. He was holding in his hands something he considered a treasure. A green, slimy, frog.

"Whoa, Kai. That's pretty cool. Where'd you find him?" the father asked, trying to amuse the boy. He leaned down, hands on his knees, so he could look his son in the eyes.

"Over by the creek! Isn't he awesome? I'm gonna go show Nya!" with that, Kai raced off, his hazel eyes sparkling happily. Before his dad could stop him, Kai went into the house with the frog. He shook his head, thinking about the reaction the boy's mother would have. The dad chuckled.

"Nya! Nya! Look at what big brother's got!" Kai cried.

"What, Kai? What?" Kai's younger sister, who had short black hair and blue eyes, squealed.

"What do you have, Kai?" his mom queried, turning around from the sink where she had been doing the dishes. Then, she saw the muddy pants, the unruly hair, and the squirming creature between his hands. A frog. "Ahh! Kai Flamey, take that out of the house right now!"

"But…but, don't you like it?" Kai looked up at his mother, his eyes pleading that she would share the joy that he had.

"No. No I don't," his mother began, getting a softer tone. "Frogs are dirty, and gross."

"I want to show it to Nya," Kai said.

"Then, take your sister outside and show her," his mother instructed, slightly touched by Kai's love for his four-year-old sister.

"Nya! Nya, come outside! Come with your big bro to see the frog!" Kai shouted, excitedly.

"Frog," Nya echoed. She hopped down from the table that she had been having a snack at.

Kai took his sister's hand in one of his, the other occupied with holding onto the frog.

Mrs. Flamey wondered why she had let her son go back outside as the mess he was. She was just about to call him back in, when she decided not to. Kai spent most of his time outside. If she cleaned him up now, he would just go and get dirty again.

Mrs. Flamey smiled as she looked out upon her two and only children. Kai was sticking the frog close to Nya, while the girl shrieking. Then, Nya took the frog between her hands. It slipped through and began hopping away. Kai chased after it, and soon had it back in his grasp.

"It's okay, Nya! I got it!" Kai called.

"Yay! Yay, Kai!" Nya clapped her hands excitedly. A look of concern crossed her face. "Should you let froggy go?"

After a slight hesitation, Kai gave a small sigh. "I guess I can." He set the frog back on the ground. "Bye froggy. Go back to the creek."

* * *

These were the thoughts that were taking captive of the sixteen-year-old that was lying in bed, fast asleep. His version was a bit different, though, since he was thinking about it from the dream world. It was all twisted and confusing. If you had seen what was going on in the boy's head, you wouldn't have understood any of it. But, he did.

Kai was tossing and turning, sweat beginning to form. He knew what was going to happen next.

* * *

"Daddy! Mommy says it's time for dinner!" Kai called out to his beloved father who was still in his workshop.

"Okay, bud. Tell your mom I'll be right in," Mr. Flamey said.

"Okay, daddy!" Kai began skipping back to the house, when he skidded to a stop. "Daddy always likes it when I help him clean up."

With that, the tiny boy raced back to the shop.

"Do you need help?" Kai queried.

"Sure, Kai. I'd love your help," the father responded, a smile crossing his face.

Mrs. Flamey would be a bit peeved at how long it took for Kai and his father to reach the house. She most likely would think that Kai had got distracted and forgot to bring the message to his dad. But, it was pretty much the opposite. It would take longer because Kai was just trying to help.

As Mr. Flamey assumed, his wife was standing at the doorway, hands on her hips.

"Kai, would you like it explain why it took you ten minutes to get your father?" Kai's mom asked, as she started to tap her foot.

"I was helping daddy clean up," Kai said, looking down at the ground and shuffling his feet.

"Yeah, he was." Mr. Flamey added a wink at the end. Mrs. Flamey nodded her head in realization.

"Well, hurry up and wash your hands for dinner," she instructed.

We had just sat down to eat, when there was a pounding on the door. My dad looked over at my mom, then stood up to get the door.

"Are you Ray Flamey?" a rough voice was carried throughout the house.

Mr. Flamey swallowed. The man standing before him was a bit bigger than he was, his eyes narrowed, and a hard look was on his face.

Mr. Flamey blew air out, and straightened up, trying to seem taller. If his man wanted in his house, with his family, he was sadly mistaken.

"Yes. That is me," Mr. Flamey said confidently, though his heart was pounding hard.

"And you are the best blacksmith around here, correct?"

"I would like to consider myself that."

"Well, I need you to make me something…right now."

"I was just about to have dinner sir. Can it wait until tomorrow?" Mr. Flamey questioned.

"No. I've waited long enough to do this," the man said. It wasn't until a few hours later that Kai found out what that man meant by _this_. "Take me to your workshop right now, Mr. Flamey."

Mr. Flamey looked back at his wife, then slowly walked outside with the man.

"And what is your name sir?" Kai heard his father ask.

"Andy Farlinger," was the response.

And that was the last time Kai heard his dad's voice strong and well.

Mrs. Flamey began dishing up food for her two kids, though her mind was far from the task.

Kai, though he didn't know exactly what was going on, understood that something was wrong and it involved his father. His role model, his play mate, his comforter, his sustainer…his dad. Kai could have gone on and on, had someone ask what his dad was like. He could convince everybody that his dad was the greatest person on the face of the earth. No one could beat his champion, his hero.

Then, there was the gun shot. The sickening, heart breaking, life changing gun shot. His mother looked up, and it was only a second before she was running out the door.

"Kai stay there!" his mom called. "I'll be back in a second!"

Kai sat at the table, trying to decide whether to obey or not. Or not.

"Nya stay there! Bro will be back in a second!" Kai instructed.

It didn't take long for Kai to reach the shop. Almost at the same moment, the sound came again. The sound that came from the silver, life-threatening object.

The only thing that haunted Kai more than that, was the scream. The scream that came from his mother. Then, she was on the ground next to his father.

There was a cackling laugh from the man. His head turned to the boy, a look of triumphant on his face.

"Come here boy. Come with me. I'll take you somewhere safe. Somewhere that _accidents_ …" the man looked over at Kai's parents. "Like these can't happen."

"Never!" Kai shouted, fire burning in his eyes.

The six-year-old ran over to his dad, and threw his arms around him. Like he could protect him from everything, anything. His small mind couldn't comprehend that now; it wasn't his father that needed protecting. It was himself.

"I know this is hard for you. You have THIRTY seconds with your parents!" Andy shouted. "Then, you will be coming with me."

The next thirty seconds were the longest moment of his life. Tears washed his face multiple times. It felt like his whole being was trying to rip him apart, trying to bring himself to where his parents were now.

Kai wanted to fall down and be with his parents, wherever they were. But then, an image flashed through his head. Nya.

"Kai? Kai is that you?" a voice startled him.

"Mommy? Mommy!" tears were streaming down his face once more.

"Shh. Shh it's alright. I'm gonna…it's going to be alright." Luckily, Kai was young enough not to realize how his mother had changed what she was going to say.

"Mommy. Mommy please stay with me," Kai begged.

"It will be alright, honey." There was a pause, as she struggled for air. "Will you promise me something?"

Kai nodded his head slowly.

"Take care of your sister. Take care of Nya. She needs you."

"I need you," Kai whispered.

"She needs you more. She needs you to be brave, to protect her, to comfort her. Can you do that? Can you be my brave boy?"

Kai nodded again, wiping tears from his eyes. "Yes. Yes mommy."

"One more thing…" Kai's mother took her last breath. "I love you."

Then, she slipped into the darkness.

"No! No! Mommy please! Mommy! Mommy…"

Kai laid his head on his mom, tears falling freely.

He lifted his head too look over at his dad.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy please come back! I need you daddy! Please daddy! Please come back!" Kai cried.

But, his dad was long lost.


	5. Kai's Nightmare Pt 2

**Kai's Nightmare Pt. 2 XD**

 **This was a semi-long one shot, so my sis and I decided to split it up into three parts. Hope you're liking it so far!**

* * *

Kai jerked up in a sitting position.

It took a moment to realize why he awoke. Then, it hit him like flood. Everything, from the happy times, to where his world fell apart. He lost…his dad.

The tears began to form in his eyes. He held them back as long as he could. Ten seconds.

"I love you." The words of his mother echoed through his head. Swirling around, taking captive. All the while, the face of his father was in his mind. His pale face was like snow compared to his side that was oozing red liquid.

* * *

Mr. Farlinger had come back, grabbed the boy and slung him on his shoulder. No matter how hard Kai had cried, had kicked, had scream, there was no way he would get away from the man's iron grip.

Then, there was a rustle in the bushes. Kai could just barely make out something black.

Next thing Kai knew, he was on the ground. He had never been happier to get a face full of dirt.

Quickly, he stood up, to see what had happened.

Someone in a black ninja gi had his fists up, and was throwing himself at Kai's captor. The person was so quick that Kai couldn't make out all the moves. The move he did make out was when the person, who was half the size as Mr. Farlinger, picked up the man, and threw him twenty feet.

Mr. Farlinger slowly crawled off.

The person came over to Kai and helped him up. When he tossed the hoody back, Kai saw a boy with black hair, green eyes, and light skin. What was more surprising, was that he didn't look much older than Kai.

"Hey kid, are you okay?" the boy asked.

* * *

"Kai?" the now eighteen-year-old, black haired boy whispered to his friend. "Are you okay?"

There was no answer. Just the sounds of someone trying to stop crying.

Kai's friend thought for a moment. Only one thing made Kai cry this hard. He got an idea.

"Hey kid, are you okay?"

With that, Kai's sobs became louder, harder, stronger. The boy was now sure what was upsetting the fire ninja.

The boy climbed up the ladder to his friend's bunk bed. He scooted his friend over to there would be room for him to sit up there. Then, he leaned Kai against him.

Tears continued to fall down Kai's cheeks. The boy would let his friend cry for a minute before talking.

His mind transferred to the day that they had met…

* * *

"Hey kid, are you okay?" the boy asked.

"I...I think so. How did you do that?!" Kai cried.

"I have super strength. Plus earth power," the boy responded.

"Really?" Kai

"Yep."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Cole Brookstone. What's yours?"

"Kai. Kai Flamey," he responded. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"I was training."

"Training to be what?"

"A ninja," Cole said.

"A ninja!" Kai's enthusiasm bubbled over. "That's so cool! Is someone teaching you to be a ninja? Where do you live? How do you become a ninja? Do you have to have powers?"

"Whoa buddy." Cole held his hands up signaling that Kai needed to slow down. "I'll tell you everything I know. Just chill." Cole thought for a moment. "How 'bout you come back with me to my house?"

"I can't. I have to go back home," Kai said. Then, he remembered something. "Nya! I need to get to Nya!"

With that, Kai raced off, going as fast as his little legs would carry him. His mind pounded with thoughts of Nya.

When Kai reached the house, he realized that Nya was a lot more obedient than him. She was still sitting at the table with the now cold food, playing with her spoon.

"Kai!" Nya shouted, upon seeing her brother. She held her arms out to him.

"Nya!" Kai picked his sister up and set her on the ground.

Nya looked around. "Mommy? Daddy?"

Fear clutched Kai's heart. "No. Mommy and daddy not here."

"Where?"

"Somewhere else. I'll tell you another time," Kai said, not wanting to have to tell Nya what he knew.

"Tell me! Tell me!" Nya commanded.

"They're...they're...gone."

Kai was leaning against the cupboards, curled up in a ball, crying his little heart out. He tried to stop crying. He had to be brave for his sister. Crying was not something that a brave person did, Kai told himself. But, when he tried to hold it in, the tear just flowed more.

There was a noise near the front door. Kai lifted his head up to see who or what it was.

Cole stood there, holding the hand of a man with a white beard. The look of concern deepened when he saw Kai's streaked face.

"Kai, this is my Sensei Wu. Sensei, this is…" Cole began.

"I know who this is, Cole. This is Kai Flamey, Master of Fire," Sensei Wu said.

"Huh? What?" Kai stood to his feet, wiping tears off of his face.

"You are the Master of Fire," Sensei Wu repeated.

"What? What does that even mean? Does it mean I have powers?! Does it mean I get to be a ninja like Cole? Do I…" Kai started rattling off like he had done with Cole earlier.

"Once again Kai, you're talking way too fast. Just chill," Cole said.

"You are saying chill to the wrong person, Cole," Sensei Wu said. "As I said, this is the Master of Fire. One of the last things he can do is cool it."

"What does that even mean?!" Kai shouted.

"It means... you have powers like me, Kai!" Cole cried excitedly. "Right, Sensei?"

"Yes, Cole. You are correct," Mr. Wu responded. "Kai, you have the power of fire."

"WHAT?!" Kai's eyes grew as big as apples. "Slow down! Everything is happening too fast! How do you know who I am? How do you know _I'm_ the Master of Fire? Why are you here? Are you going to do something to me?"

"Because I know your father. We are friends. I know you are the Master of Fire because I do. I can sense it. The fire burns bright in you. I'm here because Cole wanted me to meet you. As for what I'm going to do with you, I will need to talk to your parents about that," Sensei Wu explained, patiently.

Kai's gaze dropped to the ground.

"Kai? Is something wrong?" Cole asked, worriedly.

"My mommy and daddy…" Kai couldn't say anything else. His voice was choked out by tears.

Sensei Wu put a hand on his shoulder. "Where are they?"

"In the workshop."

Sensei Wu was gone in a second, Cole close behind.

Kai sat down again, his back was against the cabinets. He pulled Nya into his lap, and buried his face against her shirt. The tears were flowing freely. Kai wondered how many times a day he would be crying about this. At the moment, it seemed like a millions times.

What is going to happen to me? Kai began asking himself. Where will I go? Will I stay here? What will I eat? I don't know how to cook!

Kai's sadness started turning into fear. He had depended so much on his parents. Now, he didn't know what to do with himself.

It wasn't long until Cole was back. Sensei Wu had sent him to the house, not wanting the boy to see the grownups. But, Cole had gotten a good glimpse at them.

Cole would have protested to stay with his sensei so he could help him do something, but he felt like Kai might need him.

"Kai?" Cole said softly.

Cole sat down next to his new-found friend. He put his arm around Kai, and let him lay his head on Cole's shoulder.

Snuffling noises were heard from Kai.

"It's okay, Kai. You don't have to hold the tears back," Cole said.

Full fledged tears came then. Gushing out of his eyes, and running down his cheeks. Cole talked soothingly to him the whole time.

"I know what it's like to lose a parent. I lost my mom. My dad helped me through the time. I know your dad isn't here to comfort you, so let me be your dad. Well, not really your dad. I'll just be here to comfort you whenever you need it. I got your back. Whenever you need something, I'll be here for you. I'll be your friend." The eight-year-old boy hoped that all he said was true. That he could truly be the friend that Kai deserved.


	6. Kai's Nightmare Pt 3

**Kai's Nightmare Pt. 3!**

 **Last part of the story! Hope you liked this very long one-shot :)**

* * *

Ten years later. They were still together. Cole was still leaning Kai's head on his shoulder, telling him to cry. Trying to say something to comfort his friend. Though he knew there wasn't much he could say. Cole just hoped that Kai would feel the strength that he was offering him.

When the tears were beginning to slow down to hiccups, Cole finally asked,

"What made you think about them?"

"I...I had a dream. From...from showing my father the frog to...to the man...the gu..gun shot...then finally, them slipping away," Kai stuttered. The tears continued.

"Kai. Kai, I know we don't talk about them a lot, but we have to now. Okay? You'll feel better if you do. I'm right here for you buddy. I told you the day that we met that I would have your back. That I would be your friend. As your friend, I know that we need to talk about this for it to feel better now," Cole said softly, but still trying to be firm.

"What...what do you want me to say?"

"Just anything about your parents. All that you remember, the sad and happy memories. The scary times, and the hard ones. Anything that you want," Cole said.

Kai took a shaky breath. Cole's grip on Kai tightened.

"Well, I guess I can start with my mother. My mom was like any great mom. Cheery, hard working, loving, and caring. But, she was also so much more. I remember one night I was very sick. Like MEGA fever, huge coughing fits, and running nose. I called for my mom. It took about seven seconds for her to reach me. It was almost like she had been waiting outside my door, she was there so fast. The whole night my mom was next to me, giving me medicine, getting cold wash cloths to put on my head, and there was always water near. She read my story after story. When we ran out of books, she made up her own stories. My mom even made a small fort over my bed, and we made up fun games. Even when I fell asleep, she was awake, waiting to see if there was anything else I would be needing. Within a few days, I was running around again. I used to think that she had the super power to magically make me better." Kai closed his eyes, trying to keep from bursting out in tears. Cole gave him a quick squeeze. "There was another time that I split my leg open. Thinking back on it now, I don't know how my mom ever handled it all. I was screaming my head off, the blood was dripping everywhere, and my leg was not a pretty sight to look at. But, she got it bandaged up, and put me in bed. What was even more amazing, though, was that she somehow kept me entertained enough to not mind being in bed. That is what I call a miracle woman." Kai chuckled, roughly. "She wasn't just there for physical pains, either. She was there for my heart aches too." Kai named a few of the times that his mother had been there.

Cole felt his heart being swept away at the memories of this amazing lady. It made him wish that he had been able to spend more time with his mother. But, no. He would not let himself think about that. If he did, Kai would be the one comforting him. Cole was there for Kai, right now. Not vice versa.

"My dad…"

The sobs were back.

"Cole. Cole, my dad was my hero. My champion. He had helped get multiple splinters out of my hands, he always made time for me, no matter how busy. Like my mom, he was a superhero in my eyes. Everything he did, I copied. I wanted to be exactly like him. My dad...Cole, I can't even explain him to you. I can't explain the feeling of seeing him lying on the ground, as still as a rock. I can't even tell you how much the sound of that gun haunts me. Or the screams of my mother, as she fell to the ground. My mind couldn't comprehend it then. I can barely even piece it all together now." Kai looked up at Cole. "Cole, when I saw my parents on the ground, I promised myself that I would do whatever it took to destroy Andy Farlinger." He paused, letting his tears consume himself for a moment. Cole gave his friend another press on his shoulders. "I don't want to destroy him now, but I still have thoughts of bringing him to justice."

"We will, Kai. I promise you we will," Cole said.

"Really? You would really help me do that?" Kai asked, semi-excitedly.

"Course, bro. I'd do anything for you," Cole said. He smirked slightly. "Well, almost anything. You can't have my cake."

"What if I had to eat it or I would die?" Kai teased. Cole rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I would give it to you." Kai chuckled.

Silence fell on them.

"Remember the day we met?" Kai queried.

"Uh, yeah! Of course I do. How could I forget?"

"Were you thinking about it earlier, too?"

"Yeah. I was."

* * *

Sensei Wu came back after what seemed like forever. His face was downcast, and face slightly wet from tears. There were some bloodstains on his clothes.

"Kai? Would you like to come home with me?" Sensei Wu asked, kneeling down on the ground. There was caring/pitying look in his expression. "Cole will be there with you."

"Can...can I bring my sister?" Kai asked, his eyes pleading that it be so.

"Yes. Yes you can bring your sister…" Sensei Wu paused. He had forgotten what the girl's name was.

"Nya," Kai said.

"Yes. Nya can come, too."

Sensei Wu stood up, and held his hand out to Kai. Slowly, the brown-haired boy took his hand. Kai's other one clutched Nya's hand. Cole was on the opposite side of Sensei Wu.

It was pretty silent on the way to wherever they were going. No one really felt like talking. Kai; not sure what was going to happen, Nya; too little to understand, Cole; didn't know what to say to break the silence, Sensei Wu; trying to figure out exactly what to do with the two parentless children.

Then, a huge ship came into view. What was strange about it, though, was that it was on land. Plus, there were huge boosters on the side of it.

"What that?" Nya questioned, breaking the heavy silence.

"That, Nya, is the Bounty. It's where my pupils and I live," Sensei Wu explained.

"You have more than one pupil?" Kai piped up.

"Yes. Cole will introduce you to them when we get on board."

"What are those things on the side of the ship? And why is it on land?" Kai queried.

"It's because the ship can fly, Kai," Cole said.

"Really?! That's cool!"

At that moment, a small, very light blond boy walked onto the deck on the ship, having heard noise. His eyes were a bright blue.

When the boy spotted the two news figures coming near, his eyes widened. But, he didn't say anything.

"Zane! Come over here!" Cole called to the boy on board. "You need to meet people!"

The boy walked, a bit stiffly, over to them.

"Zane, this is Kai and his sister Nya. Kai and Nya, this is Zane," Cole said. "They're going to stay with us."

"Hello. I am Zane," the boy responded.

"Hi, Zane," Kai replied.

"Hi, Zane!" Nya squeaked. A smile appeared on Zane's face. He bent down to look Nya.

"Hello, Nya. How old are you?"

"I four!" Nya held up four fingers.

"Yeah, Nya. You're four," Kai said, chuckling. "I'm six. How old are you, Zane?"

"I'm seven," was the reply. Zane stood back up.

"Hey, Cole. I never asked how old you were," Kai said.

"I'm eight," Cole said.

"Ahh. So both of you are older than me?" Kai asked, with a pouting attitude.

"Yeah. But don't worry. Lloyd turned six a little bit ago, and Jay just turned six. So you aren't the youngest," Cole said.

"Who are they?" Kai questioned.

"They're inside," Zane said.

"Come with me, Kai and Nya! I'll show you who they are, and where you can stay!" Cole cried, enthusiastically. He motioned for Kai and Nya to follow him, then raced inside.

"Jay! Lloyd! Come here! You need to meet some people!" Cole called.

"What, Cole?" a medium dark blonde-haired, green eyed, boy appeared. He gasped, partly from enthusiasm. "Who's are they?"

"Lloyd, this is Kai and Nya. Kai and Nya this is Lloyd. He turned six a few months ago," Cole explained.

"Hey, Kai! Hi, Nya! Are you guys staying with us?" Lloyd asked.

"Yep, they are," Cole answered. "Jay! Get out here!"

"WHHHYYY?" a boy with dark brown hair walked over to where the others were. "I was in the middle of a game!"

Then, he spotted Kai and Nya. His dark blue eyes light up.

"Hi! I'm Jay! Who are you guys?" Jay had a huge smile on his face.

"Jay, this is Kai and his sister Nya. They are staying with us," Cole said.

"Cool! Hey Kai and Nya, watch this!"

Jay held his hand out towards the wall. A lightning bolt shot out and struck the wall. A black mark could clearly be seen on it,

"Oops." Jay blushed.

"Jay, what have I told you about using your powers in the house?" Sensei Wu asked, as he came in.

"Not to use them." Jay hung his head.

"Yes. That is correct. You are lucky nothing worse happened," Sensei said.

"Sorry, Sensei," Jay apologized.

Sensei Wu sighed. "It is alright. Just remember to be more careful, okay?" Jay nodded his head.

"Whoa! Did you do that yourself?" Kai cried.

"Yep!" Jay said, triumphantly. "I have lightning powers."

"Cool!" Kai gave Jay a high-five. He turned to the others. "Do you guy have powers too? I know Cole has big muscles and earth power."

"I have the power of energy," Lloyd said. He cupped his hands together, and a small ball of energy formed between his palms.

"Whoa? That's awesome, Lloyd!" Kai shouted.

"I have ice powers," Zane said. He stuck his hand out, and froze Jay's foot to the ground.

"Hey!" Jay shouted. "Zane, why would you do that?!"

"Because it was fun," Zane said, smirking.

"Zane," Sensei used a warning tone. He had a raised eyebrow.

Zane's gave went to the floor. "Sorry, Jay."

"It's okay, Zane. I forgive you," Jay said.

"I will help you get the ice off your foot." Zane began to move towards Jay, but Sensei Wu stopped him.

"No, Zane. Kai can help Jay," Sensei said.

"What? Why can I help him?" Kai asked, confused.

"Because you have the power of fire."

Jay looked at Kai, his eyes the size of apples. "Really? Show us!"

"I can't. Because I don't know how," Kai said.

"I'll help you do it!" Jay volunteered.

"It's okay, Jay. I can do it," Sensei said.

Sensei Wu explained a few things to Kai. He told Kai how he really needed to focus. How he could unlock his powers.

Sensei Wu had talked for about ten seconds, when Kai threw something at Jay's foot. Fire. The ice was gone in a second.

"Whoa! Kai you did it!" Jay cried.

"Yes, Kai. You did," Zane said, smiling.

"I did it! That's so awesome!" Kai shouted.

"Yay, Kai! You do it!" Nya jumped up and down, clapping her hands.

"Great job, Kai," Sensei Wu complemented the boy. He kneeled down so he could look Kai in the eyes. "Kai, would you like to become a ninja?"

Kai was thoughtful for a moment. "Yes. I want to be a ninja!"

* * *

As Kai thought about that day, he realized that none of it would have been possible without what happened to his parents. He never would have met Cole. He never would have met Sensei Wu, or Zane, Lloyd, or Jay. He wouldn't have found out about his fire power, or become a ninja. Because of all that, Kai knew that his parents were, and always would be, a part of his life.

He would still ache for his parents, though. But, Kai knew that Cole would always be there for him. He would always have his back, he would always be there to comfort him. Cole would always be his friend.

Kai leaned against Cole. The sun was beginning to shine through the windows. The sound of birds were reaching his ears.

Finally, Kai spoke.

"Thanks, Cole."

"No problem bro. I'm always here for you," Cole responded.

"I know. You've said that multiple times," Kai teased. "But, seriously, thanks for that. I don't know if I would have gotten through the night without you."

"Night is always the hardest for tears."

"Yeah. Definitely. It's the hardest for memories, too."

"We have some good memories too. Why don't we review some of them? It might help put us in a happier mood," Cole suggested.

"Good idea."

Kai leaned against Cole, as his mind searched for some story to tell. It wasn't hard. They had so many good times. So many things to laugh about. Because they were the best friends.

They were earth and fire.


	7. Fire and Earth pt 1

**Ayeee, so this might get a little intense. I'm sorry.**

 **I wrote it a while back but I figure you would like it and I needed an update anyway, so yay! XD**

 **HOPE YOU LIKE**

* * *

Earth and fire. Fire and earth. Fire depends on earth. Fire feeds off the earth. Without the earth, fire cannot find fuel, therefore it cannot burn. If the earth crumbles, fire can be no more.

But, does earth ever depend on fire? No one has ever thought about that matter before. What would happen if fire was extinguished and disappeared into the depths of darkness but earth was still there? Earth could function. Earth would stand firm. Earth would have no need to crumble.

But, it would be without light. There would be no warmth, no flickering shine. No hearth. No soft glow to bring cheerfulness into a gloomy room. There would be nothing but darkness. The earth would be sad, desolate, and frightening. Gloom and despair would capture everything. Fear would rule where light was no more.

So, technically speaking, earth didn't need fire for support. But, without fire, earth would be engulfed in darkness.

 _FIREFIREFIREFIRE_

"Hold on, Kai!"

"We're coming!"

"Just hold on!"

"We're going to save you!"

The cries of his friends echoed in his otherwise blank mind. His body ached everywhere, and he was pretty sure several bones were crushed. Of course he couldn't really feel it. He couldn't feel anything, or see, or hear. All he was aware of was wetness, cold, and pain.

 _EARTHEARTHEARTHEARTH_

Cole grabbed loosely onto the anchor chain of the Bounty. Their flying ship was a little ways up in the sky. He looked up, almost unfeeling, and saw his friend's sister peering over the edge of the rail, waiting eagerly for their return.

What would he tell her? How could he, the leader of the ninja, walk right up to the sister of his best friend, and tell her...Kai wasn't coming home? He couldn't do it. He physically wasn't capable of doing this excruciatingly painful task.

The other two ninja, Jay and Zane, were climbing slowly up the chain. Cole knew they too were grieving deeply, but at the moment he could only think of himself.

The image of his friend, hanging onto life by just strings, literally. The other three called out to him. "Hold on, we're coming. Just hold on. We...will save you." But they couldn't. They didn't. They failed Kai when he needed it most. And now. He was gone.

Cole swung himself over the rail onto the Bounty deck. His eyes were hollow, like a dark tunnel but you couldn't see the light at the end. His normally bright, brown eyes were filled with gray sorrow.

And Nya noticed that before anything. Something was wrong, very wrong. She watched as the three ninjas: Cole, Jay, and Zane, circled around her, silently, limply, as if their minds no longer worked the way they were supposed to.

"What is it?" Nya asked, desperate. "What happened? Where's Kai? Where's my brother?" She looked around with wild eyes at the gloomy group. Though all their expressions were agonizingly sorrowful, they were different.

Jay, the ninja of lighting, was staring at his feet, eyes red and rimmed with tears. He was typically more emotional and sensitive than the others, but the most lighthearted and the clown of the group. It terrified Nya that he would be crying, when all he ever did was laugh.

She glanced at Zane, the ninja of ice. He was looking intently at her, with sympathetic eyes, but mouth in a grim line. The smart, cool ice ninja was busy contemplating whatever terrible thing had happened. Nya could tell, and that was almost as scary as Jay's expression.

But the worst, most petrifying expression was of the leader, the master of earth. Cole. Nya tried to catch his gaze, which traveled across the skies staring into nothingness. The brown eyes were hollow, and rather than rimmed with red and tears from crying, they were overtaken my shadows. Shadows and hollowness, that only hinted of a shattered heart. The master of earth, their steady, strong leader, was fallen. What had happened so terrible for Cole to fall apart? For earth to crumble.

"What...happened..." Nya's voice trembled, as she already knew the answer she would be given. This couldn't be happening. She had to hear it with her own ears, what had truly happened, and that he...her brother was truly gone, and even then she wouldn't believe it.

"Nya, I am so sorry," Zane stepped forward. "We tried to save him, but our efforts were in vain. He is gone."

"No..." Nya sank to her knees, devastation evident in her eyes. She put her face in her hands and sobbed.

Jay moved towards her, kneeling down, and wrapping his girlfriend in a tight embrace. He knew this should be harder for her than any of them.

While the rest still had at least one parent, Kai and Nya's parents had died when they were very young. They were each other's only real family. Until now.

Cole didn't dare look at Kai's sister. He could hear her sobs, as Jay tried to comfort her. But, he could hardly care what anyone else felt, when he felt so terrible himself. No, terrible wasn't the right word. Try, agonized. Devastated. Shattered.

How could he ever forgive himself?

 _FIREFIREFIREFIRE_

A shudder ran through Kai's broken body. His fingers twitched on his left hand, and he felt the hard, cold sand between them. He had laid there for what seemed like forever. Cold? No. He was freezing. Numb, but still agonized with aching pain. He could hardly form thoughts of time, of place, of anything. But, he did have one, single striking thought:

They would come. His friends would come. He didn't know when, but he knew they would come. They always came.

* * *

 **Don't worry! Stay tuned and there'll be more!**


	8. Fire and Earth pt 2

**Since you guys are awesome and liked the first chapter, here's another gift!**

 **This chapter's longer too!**

* * *

Cole retreated to the bedroom as soon as he could get away. He slumped down on his bed in defeat, his clothing still sticking to him from the rain. One rough hand reached up to shove his thick, black hair off his forehead. He shut his eyes.

His breathing slowed, as he closed off his thoughts to nothingness. Thoughts hurt too much. Thinking hurt. Sometimes, that is. And at the moment, Cole's thoughts were unbearable. So, he turned them off, channeling them into their own box, containing darkness, devastation, and pain.

A cold sweat broke out on his skin, and his hands clenched into fists. Memories flooded through his mind, before he could stop them. He tried to shove them away, because of the pain that came along with them, but it didn't work. They came anyway.

He saw a boy with messy, brown hair, tongue stuck out to the side as he concentrated on something. The boy was around 6 or 7, maybe. His eyes were chocolate brown, and were bright with wonder and passion. He wore a miniaturized version of his father's apron, whom was working diligently behind him, in the blacksmith shop. It appeared, that the boy was attempting to mimic his father.

Cole hid in the bushes, interested to see what the boy, who was close to his age, would do. He could hear the light chatter that the boy made with his father. The father, of course, tried to keep up with his replies to his son, but being a little preoccupied he was having a difficult time.

"Dad, it's just not working!" The boy said, yanking something out of a barrel of water. Cole tried to make out what it was. All he saw was a twisted up piece of metal.

"You have to be patient, Kai. It takes a long time for someone to master the art of black smithing," the father answered wisely, still enthralled in his own work.

"But, I just wanna make a sword like you!" Kai huffed with impatience, and shoved the "sword" back onto the table.

Kai was impatient, right from the start.

Cole broke away from the memory with a creak of the door. He looked up with the same broken gaze, and saw Lloyd standing in the doorway. The 14 year old peeked in at him. Like Jay's, his green eyes were rimmed with tears, as he gripped the door handle, tightly.

"Cole..." His voice quivered. "Can I come in?"

Cole barely managed a nod. He put his hands over his face and rubbed, stressfully.

"Are you okay?" Lloyd asked, though he didn't seem well himself.

Cole looked at him with a hard glare before turning away.

"No," he said, bluntly. Lloyd was silent for a while.

"Do you...wanna talk?" He finally said, timidly.

"No, I don't wanna talk." Cole's tone was rather matter-of-fact.

"Okay..." The boy's voice trailed away as he left the room.

He really had wanted the talk for himself, but he could tell Cole was not in any state to talk. Instead, Lloyd walked through the hallway into the living room where Zane was sitting on the couch. He hadn't shed any tears yet, but you know, he's a nindroid. He was silent, and seemed to be thinking, deeply.

"Hi, Zane," Lloyd said quietly, sinking down on the couch.

"Hello, Lloyd," the ninja of ice replied, with a sad, sympathetic smile.

"Hey, Zane. I was wondering..." Lloyd stopped, not knowing if he should or could continue. He sniffled, roughly brushing tears away. He had to do this. He had to know.

"Yes, Lloyd?"

"Can you maybe tell me...what happened?" He choked out, finally. Zane looked sad.

"I do not think you would like the story."

"I need to know, Zane. I need to know how...how he..."

Lloyd couldn't bring himself to say the word "died", or anything related. He couldn't even say the fire ninja's name for fear he would break down in tears.

"I understand, Lloyd," Zane said, helpfully. "But, it's not going to be easy to hear. Perhaps you would like it better if Cole told you what happened?"

"He won't. He's too..." Again, Lloyd couldn't finish.

"Alright, I am just afraid I will not tell it how you would like, and that I might not be good enough for emotional support, as I am a robot."

"You're a nindroid. But, it doesn't matter, I need to know."

"Of course." The nindroid took a deep breath. "Well, Lloyd. You know...Kai," he hadn't been sure whether to say the name, but decided they would have to eventually anyway. "He has always been the impulsive one, jumping right into something without a second thought."

Zane looked up to see Lloyd's slight nod, then continued.

"An impulsive behavior can be good sometimes, as acting on impulse does not allow you to think about frightening things that would cause you to have a lack of bravery under that circumstance," Zane said, smartly. "But, you see, Lloyd. Most of the time, impulsiveness is very dangerous. Kai has...had the tendency to make decisions so quickly that he didn't even think what could happen to him if he did so. He's put himself into immediate danger countless times, but thankfully we were able to save him all those times..."

"Zane, I'm sorry," interrupted Lloyd. "Thanks for trying to explain all of that, but I just want to know what happened today. I want to know if Kai..." He seemed to cringe as the name came off his tongue. "If the way he, you know...if he was brave and, and..."

"Oh I see," Zane said, thoughtfully. "You want to know if he died honorably."

Tears leapt to Lloyd's eyes again, and he sniffled. He whisked away the tears though, and willed himself to be strong. For Kai. Kai was always so strong. So, Lloyd would be strong, just like the boy he looked up to with such swelling pride and admiration.

"Well, Lloyd. I suppose I am not an expert on honor, but I can say that I believe Kai has always fought with amazing amounts of courage and with that, comes honor. He made a reckless decision today, based on impulse. But, he was trying to protect us, Lloyd. All of us, and everyone in Ninjago. So...yes, Lloyd. Though it pains all of us to hear that, Kai did leave us with honor on his side." Zane smiled, mildly, and touched Lloyd on the shoulder.

The younger boy looked a bit more peaceful with that answer, knowing that his hero had died honorably as he should, but it still hurt. A lot. And he knew it would for a long, long time.

"Hello! I'm home, my students!" The call of an older man echoed through the Bounty, after the door had slammed behind him.

Jay brought his head up from Nya's, as he heard their teacher's voice. Nya still shook in his arms as the sat upon her bed together. He tenderly smoothed out her black, tangled hair, and a thought came to him. No one had thought to contact Sensei. He didn't know that Kai had...

The ninja of lightning gently released the crying girl from his arms.

"Nya," he said, softly. She looked up at him with swollen, red eyes. "I need to go tell Sensei what happened. You want to go out with me, or stay here?"

"I'll go," she answered shakily, brushing the tears out of her eyes and straightening up. Jay saw a bit of her strength returning.

Jay stood up off the bed, and grabbed Nya's hand. They walked out of the room together. Entering the hallway, they moved along towards the living room where Zane and Lloyd were currently sitting silently.

Sensei Wu came in the doorway from the kitchen, just as Jay and Nya came from the hallway. The older man surveyed the scene and seemed to pick up immediately that something had happened to cause such a miserable group.

"Well, hello my students. What has happened? Where is Cole? And Kai?" As soon as he said the name of the fire ninja, they all looked at him quickly with wide, despairing eyes.

Cole heard Sensei's voice and subconsciously remembered they hadn't told him what happened. He knew as the leader, he should be the one to explain the situation. But, once again he couldn't bear the thought of telling his teacher that one of his students was lost...and that he felt responsible for it.

This time he had to though. Sensei had high expectations of Cole, as he was the leader. He had to take the lead on this one.

So, he forced himself off the bed, swiped a hand across his eyes, and walked with silent, feathery steps out of the room, and into the living room. The moment he entered, he heard his name within Sensei's question.

"...Where is Cole? And Kai?" The old man turned his eyes up as Cole stalked into the room like a shadow.

The master of earth stood in the doorway from the hallway, not knowing whether to go all the way in or stay where he was. At another word from Sensei, he froze to the spot, and his body tensed.

"Cole," Sensei said. "I expect an explanation from you, as you are the leader. Now tell me, has something happened?" The teacher was filled with concern now, as he watched Cole hesitate. He braced himself for the answer he would receive.

Cole straightened himself up, and took a deep breath. He wasn't sure if he could do this. But he had to.

"It's...Kai, Sensei," Cole managed. "He's...he's not coming home." He closed his eyes tightly for a second, willing away the tears that had suddenly leapt to his eyes. "He's gone, Sensei." A sob threatened to choke him, but he wouldn't allow that.

"What? How did this happened?" Sensei asked, with a pained expression.

The tears were streaming now, as the other team members shifted their eyes to Cole. They didn't want to be the bearer of bad news anymore than he did. Plus, he was the leader.

Upon seeing the tears on Cole's face, Nya continued her sobbing and buried her face in Jay's shoulder. Jay and Lloyd also had tears lingering in their eyes.

"It...it was my fault, Sensei," Cole choked out. "I should've stopped him...I've should've saved him..." The sobs engulfed him completely, and he burst out of the room before any of the others could react.

He ran onto the Bounty deck, completely ignoring the heavy tears that the weeping sky produced. The ninja headquarters had recently been lowered to the ground, so Cole threw himself over the railing and landed neatly on his feet.

Then, he kept running. The freezing rain stung his eyes, but why should he care how his physical self felt? All his energy was spent on grieving his friend. Beating himself up for not stopping Kai from doing another stupid thing. Cole had saved that boy more times than he could count, yet he failed to stop him this time. This time that had extinguished the fire forever.

Branches slapped at his cheeks as he ducked into the forest. The pattering of the rain falling on the treetops was drowned by the rushing river nearby.

Suddenly Cole stopped running, and turned to the nearest thing he could hit. Which happened to be a tree trunk.

He took out all his feelings on that tree. His fists dug into the bark, coming away scraped and bloody. Like with the freezing rain, Cole didn't care about his physical pain.

He only cared about Kai. His fiery spirit. His sarcastic comments. The lightness and cohesion he brought to the team. And Kai was gone. What would the team be without him?

Cole hit the tree again, screaming. His breath came out in icy clouds. He turned away from the tree, looked up at the crying, gray sky, and cried out with all the bitterness and hurt tunneling from his chest. The agonized cry echoed through the trees. He threw himself on the cold ground and sobbed.

* * *

 **Noooo! Poor Cole :'(**


	9. Fire and Earth pt 3

**Hey hey! Just a lil present for you!**

 **Because y'all are so great!**

 **I was so happy at how excited you got for new chapter! My heart was full!**

 **Love y'all, and hope you love this. One more part coming at ya later;)**

* * *

 _FIRREFIREFIREFIRE_

A loud cry echoed through the trees, reaching Kai's hearing. His body shook as he tried to think about what that meant. Someone nearby. Possibly in pain...but at least it was someone.

Kai strained his ears to listen for another noise. His breath came short. His chest ached from effort. Another sound came to him - the sound of sobbing, as if someone was grieving the loss of a friend but not in physical pain.

Kai tried to lift his left arm. Pain shot up to his shoulder and down his back. He wasn't sure where the injury actually was, but he guessed the upper shoulder area because it throbbed painfully, nonstop.

He slowly lifted the right arm. Not as much pain in the arm or shoulder, but his wrist didn't look right. It was twisted at a weird angle, and Kai couldn't move it. So...both arms were basically useless.

A few feet away, something glowed, dimly. The fire ninja shifted his gaze to his left and spotted his golden fire sword, lying on the ground, muddy. If he could get to it, he could maybe use it to signal whoever was out there.

But, he could hardly move. That was a problem. Then, he figured he could conjure a fireball in his hands, but that would also require him to move his arms.

Well this sucks, he thought bitterly.

A shudder ran through his body, and he coughed, causing pain to ripple through his chest. He figured he must have a couple cracked ribs. Wonderful.

He strained his foggy mind to think of something - anything - that he could use to get someone's attention. Someone's help. Because if he didn't get help...he knew how that would end. And he didn't like it.

 _EARTHEARTHEARTH_

The flashback hit Cole hard. He had made himself stop sobbing, figuring it was extremely unmanly. But he laid there on the ground, trying not to think about...Kai. But it was too hard. There was too much pain. Too much regret. So much guilt.

Why? Cole thought. Why Kai? Of all people, why did he have to die?

He was the bright spot on their team. Witty, brave, strong. Passionate and determined. He was all heart and soul, his fiery spirit shining in everything he did. He would lay down his life for his friends, or to save the world. And he did that...Kai died trying to do something honorable.

Cole remembered the morning - this morning (only this morning? It seemed liked forever ago) - but he remembered what happened, clearly. The image...the horrible, haunting image of it all, would be burned in Cole's mind forever.

"There they are!" Kai shouted, pointing at the dark figures running across the bridge. Something glistened gold in the arms of one of the skeletons.

The Aryan Dagger. The most powerful weapon ever created. It could generate pure light or pure darkness, affecting everything within its vicinity when activated. When in the wrong hands...well, let's just say it would not be good. The world could be overcome by darkness, and everyone on earth would either succumb to the darkness or suffer horrible tortures.

Kai couldn't let these skeletons get away with this. He ran straight for the bridge, without a second thought. He didn't wait for the others to catch up, nor did he stop despite Cole's command. His mind was set on saving the world.

You see, that bridge wasn't JUST a bridge. It was the Atlas bridge. All you had to do was get across it, and it would take you anywhere you wanted to go. If the skeletons got across with the Aryan dagger, they would transport to their secret lair, where even the ninjas couldn't find them.

And Kai couldn't let that happen. It wasn't in his nature to just let them go, and of course Cole didn't want that either. They all wanted to stop them. It was just...Kai's impulses were so much stronger than the others.

While Kai ran far ahead, the other three ninjas followed as fast as possible. They couldn't catch up, though. Kai reached the bridge while the rest of them were still 200 hundred yards away. Even from there, Cole could see the wooden planks weakening under the weight of twelve skeleton warriors. The ropes were taught on either side. If they could just get the bridge to fall...

But if any of the ninjas went out there, the bridge would fall, with the skeletons AND the ninja. That wasn't an option. All that was left was to cut the ropes.

That was just it. All they needed to do was cut the ropes, but Kai...Kai ran out before Cole could warn him. The impulsive nature of the fire ninja couldn't be controlled. He was an unbridled flame of fight. He wasn't going to waste a minute with logic, when the world was in danger.

But Cole should've stopped him. He should've ran faster, caught up with Kai. He could've grabbed Kai, and prevented him from running out there. But there was no way. Kai was fast. Too fast. Cole screamed at him.

"Kai, get back here! It's not safe!"

"Safe?" Kai yelled over his shoulder. "When is anything ever safe?" He kept running.

The bridge wobbled and swung back and forth, and a few boards broke under Kai's feet. So, Cole watched helplessly as his friend advanced quickly on the skeleton and began to attack. Kai spun and kicked a warrior in the face, sending him flying off the bridge towards the rocks and river below.

Then, from 50 yards away, Cole heard the first snap. Jay and Zane were next to him, but they had been so silent (maybe they were waiting for his word), Cole had almost forgotten they were with him. He was focused on Kai, anyway.

The bridge was being held aloft my three ropes, now. One of the ropes on the other side had been severed, and several skeleton warriors had been tossed off the bridge.

Cole's eyes searched frantically for Kai. When he spotted the fire ninja, his heart lurched. Kai was fighting a skeleton warrior, while hanging underneath the bridge. He held on with his hands and used kicks to deliver his blows. How could he possibly hold on so long?

Cole had to do something. He heard Kai yelp in pain, but for some reason it didn't register.

Just as he was straining his mind for an idea, he heard another sickening snap.

"Cole!" Jay shouted, pointing across the bridge. The next rope (the lone rope on the other side) snapped just as Cole looked over.

He watched in horror, as the bridge (and Kai), swung down. Kai was still holding onto one of the ropes but the bridge was coming in hot towards the stony edge. It would definitely hurt to slam into that rocky wall.

Thankfully, Kai thought fast (that impulse CAN be helpful). Right before he hit the cliff face, he did a flip, letting go of the rope and reaching for a ledge or a handhold in the rock. Of course, there was nothing. He snagged the rope again, before he could fall, and he hung there. He clung to his life, by a few strings.

That got Cole moving. He propelled himself forward, and stopped at the edge of the cliff. The ropes on their side were still tied to posts on either side.

Cole looked down to see Kai straining to climb up the rope with one arm. His left arm hung limply at his side, and the ninja of earth could see it was bleeding. Kai wasn't strong enough to pull himself up. So, Cole would have to do it.

"Hold on, Kai!" He shouted, reaching for the rope his friend was holding on to. The rope that connected his friend to life. Kai's lifeline.

Jay and Zane yelled something behind Cole. "We're coming!"

They knelt beside and helped him pull. The rope was long, but Kai wasn't heavy. Cole bet the fire ninja weighed no more than 140. That was surprising, considering the amount of Mexican food Kai ate. He could shovel down enchiladas two at a time.

Kai was just out of arm's reach when a strange object whistled through the air. Before Cole could blink, it shot straight towards the rope and tore through a few strands. Kai plummeted a few feet before coming to a stop, still dangling by the rope.

Cole stared in horror at the arrow falling down towards the river. He was so caught off guard, that he almost let go of the rope. But he didn't. He pulled at it frantically, now. Faster and faster and...

It wasn't enough.

The rope snapped.

Kai fell.

Kai died.

The fire was extinguished.

But what if he wasn't dead? The possibility had never crossed Cole's mind. He had seen the rocks and the rushing river below. The drop was too far for anyone to possibly survive.

 _FIREFIREFIREFIRE_

Anyone except for Kai.

Kai was what you would call a breathing ghost. On the brink of death. Lingering in a world of pain, one where he was alone - terribly alone.

But, he knew he didn't have to be alone. Someone was out there, so close, yet so far. Kai couldn't move. Heck, he could hardly breathe.

"Help," he rasped out. Even he had to strain to hear his own words. A stinging pain pricked his ribs as he whispered just the one word.

But he had to do this. This was his last chance.

Kai mustered all the strength he had into the next word.

"Help!" It came out much stronger, but Kai knew it wasn't enough. He closed his eyes, in defeat, and waited for death to take him.


	10. Fire and Earth Pt 4

**Thank you for enthusiastic reviews! You don't know how much I love them!**

 **Enjoy XD**

* * *

 _EARTHEARTHEARTH_

"Help," the voice whispered through the trees.

Cole's head came up slowly, as he wondered if he had imagined the feeble cry. His face stung from the brisk wind and the dry tears on his cheeks.

He waited for another noise. After a few minutes of silence, he wondered if he was completely losing it now. Cole was hopelessly alone out here. No one would be out in this cold, voluntarily - unless, unless it wasn't voluntarily.

Someone could be hurt. In trouble. Maybe he didn't have the strength to call again.

Cole got to his feet. Despite the searing pain in own heart, he knew he couldn't ignore a cry for help. Again, he strained his ears for another sound.

"Help!" This time, the voice was loud and clear. Cole froze.

The voice...it sounded just like...no it couldn't be. It was impossible. There was no way that Kai...

Cole took off running in the direction of the voice. He didn't care if he was hallucinating - imagining a voice that hadn't been there at all. If there was a chance...even a 1% chance it was him - Kai - Cole had to know.

He broke through a bunch of trees into a clearing and immediately saw the rushing river. His eyes scanned the area. They stopped on a red-clad form on the bank of the river and...

Cole staggered backward and he gripped the tree behind him for support. His other hand flew to his mouth. Those oh-so-familiar tears stung his eyes, again, as he stared.

He wanted to hurl. He wanted to run. He wanted to scream. He wanted to drop dead on the spot.

It was Kai's body.

Limp and lifeless.

No more fire.

No more fight.

Nothing.

But, surely Kai was the one that had called for help. Surely he still had to be alive if...no. The thought was too horrible to endure. If Kai had used his dying breath to call for help and Cole had been so near this whole time - the ninja of earth wouldn't be able to live, wouldn't be able to breathe breath any longer if Kai was truly dead.

So Cole stumbled forward blindly, the tears filling his eyes and tumbling in a waterfall down his cheeks. The sobs followed and...Kai's body twitched. Cole froze again, less then 10 feet away from his friend.

He was stupid. He was an idiot for stopping so close to his friend when Kai needed help so badly. But, Cole couldn't move. The shock riddled through his body like electricity, gluing his feet to the ground temporarily.

Then, he was on his knees next to Kai. He touched the familiar, messy brown hair that Kai attempted to keep in stylish spikes.

"C...Cole?" Kai's voice was a raspy mumble, with a ragged cough following it.

The red ninja's body contorted in a spasm, and shook furiously. He was lying on his stomach, which couldn't be comfortable in any way if his ribs were cracked.

"Kai," Cole choked out.

"Cole," Kai confirmed to himself, and let his eyes flutter close. He let the sweet darkness consume him, unconsciousness stirring him into painless dreams.

Cole wanted to throw himself over his friend and sob for eternity. But, he knew that would cause Kai pain - more pain even within his sleep. Cole shook himself. He cleared his mind.

Here Kai was - alive in front of his eyes, but terribly wounded. Cole had to snap out of his daze and help his friend.

His friend that was alive. Kai. Kai was alive. Kai. Was. Alive. And Cole wasn't about to let him slip through his fingers. Not again.

"Kai," he whispered, tears stinging his eyes. "You're going to be okay, I promise."

"Nya! Jay! Anybody?" Cole shouted into his wrist communication device.

"Cole?" A fuzzy voice came over the line. It was Lloyd's voice, muffled both from bad connection and the kid's tears.

"Lloyd," Cole breathed.

A sob caught in his throat as he looked down at Kai. Cole had managed, with all the gentleness he could muster to turn Kai onto his back.

It was terrible to look at the fire ninja. His condition...was just...Cole couldn't bear it. The pain Kai must've suffered - he had been like this the whole day.

Lying here in hopelessness and torturing pain - cracked ribs, busted shoulder, snapped wrist, probably a concussion and who knows how many more injuries - how did Kai bear it? Any normal person would've died from anxiety and pain alone - even if the injuries weren't fatal.

Kai had been fighting it, knowing the others would come for him...only they hadn't. They wouldn't even have known he was alive if...Cole couldn't even think about.

He tried to control the sobs building in his chest and throat, threatening to choke him.

"Cole?" Lloyd's voice reminded Cole what he was supposed to be doing. "What is it, Cole? Where are you? We've been worried."

"Lloyd." Cole spoke in a gravelly whisper. "Lloyd, I...I found him."

"What?" Lloyd sounded bewildered. "Who? What are you talking about?" He questioned. Cole had the feeling the kid knew what he was talking about.

"Kai. I found him. And...he's alive. He's alive, Lloyd! But, he needs help. So, come. All of you. Come." Cole didn't know what else to say.

He knew his words were choppy. He knew the others wouldn't know what to make of the news. Maybe they thought Cole was going crazy. All the more reason for them to come, right?

After what seemed like hours, but was really only a few minutes, Lloyd said,

"We're coming, Cole. Where are you guys?" He sounded out of breath, and Cole understood why.

He, himself, felt like the air had left his system. He was in shock. Cole knew that. But, he was also ecstatic. Overjoyed. Relieved. Confused. Wonderfully, blissfully...inexpressible. He couldn't describe what he felt. He couldn't believe this was real.

The weight of the world had suddenly lifted off his shoulders. He wasn't holding the sky anymore. This burden was gone. All because...

Kai was alive.

Really, truly, alive.

He. Was. Alive.

The fire had returned.

Would return.

Was burning once more.

And the earth was never letting the fire burn out, again.


	11. Chapter 11: Bb Kai

**AH YEET YEET YEET IM SO HYPE FOR THIS HAH** A

 **Sorry about that, but as you can see I'm pretty excited for this 3000+ plus word one-shot! It's a commitment, but I hope it's worth it!**

 **Just a warning I just finished writing this, haven't edited it, and it's almost midnight so I hope it's actually as good as I want it to be.**

 **Thank you all for reading!**

* * *

Chapter 11: Bb Kai

* * *

By now, I'd learned not to jinx myself by saying that things couldn't get any worse. Because they always did. Which is why as I sat there in the cold, dimly lit cell with sorely bruised ribs and a sprained ankle, cradling a red-clad baby (don't ask) to my chest who cried constantly and who seemed quite 'entitled' to gripping my gi and cuddling, with no means of escape or communications with my other teammates who probably hadn't even figured out we were missing yet, I didn't try to convince myself that things couldn't get worse. Because I knew they would, and I was tired of giving myself false hope.

Tiny hands gripped my gi (see?), and I looked down, gawking at the pure vulnerability and dependence that this child held. Tentatively, I brushed the soft wisps of brown hair from the child's peaceful face. Finally, I'd gotten him to calm down and sleep, or maybe he'd just tired himself out enough during his tantrum and fallen asleep on his own. I couldn't resist a chuckle at the thought. Such a typical Kai thing to do. Even when he was grown, he'd lose his temper, then usually confine himself in the bunkroom to cool off, and end up having us find him fast asleep on his bed, smoke still curling off his fingers.

A loud creaking groan burst through the cell as the door was opened from the outside, sending me rushing to pull Kai ever closer to my chest protectively. If whoever had kidnapped us was back, I wasn't at all going to be willing to let them touch Kai. Especially in his completely vulnerable (and dare I say adorable) form.

"Well, well, isn't this such a touching sight," a man's voice said cheerfully, but somehow still sounding menacing. "The infamous earth ninja cradling his beloved, albeit now defenseless brother in arms, the former master of fire." The lengthy, roll of his voice had me tensing in instant disapproval and hatred.

My eyes scanned the shadowed form that had just entered the cell, but it was hard to see in the light. But what I could see told me the man wasn't tall, wasn't particularly in good shape or health, therefore probably would easily be defeated. I would've fought him then and there and gotten the heck out of dodge if it weren't from the bundle in my arms. This changed the whole playing field because I wasn't about to leave Kai or endanger him further by starting a fight.

"Who are you, and what do you want with us?" I asked, more annoyed than anything. I even added a sigh to prove my point, because this wasn't cliche at all.

Who did this guy think he was? Besides the fact that he managed to get his hands on De-Aging Tea, he had nothing going for him that had me concerned of him injuring either Kai or myself. Although, I didn't know where we were exactly, and couldn't be sure of his security measures. Maybe he had guards, which again, I'd take my chances against 100 guards if I was alone or if Kai was with me in his normal, teenage form. But I wasn't chancing it with him like this, no way.

"That's always the popular question," the man drawled. He pressed a button next to the door and instantly a metal band whipped around me waist, pinning me tightly to the wall. "And for good reason. Name's Flagbee, if you really need to know." He chuckled slightly. _Flagbee?_ Was that a first or a last name? Either way it sucked and made me despise that guy even more.

I shifted uncomfortably where I sat, Kai stirring as I did so. His eyes blinked open owlishly, peering up at me, then gazing at the intruder. Although probably only around the age of one in this form, Kai was still the master of fire, and I felt his little body heat up against my chest at the sight of the man before us. I chuckled, looking from Kai's burning, amber eyes and pouting expression to our kidnapper.

"You shouldn't have bothered turning my teammate into a kid. He still isn't scared of you. So I suggest you just let us go and no one has to get hurt."

The man tapped his chin. "That's an interesting proposal, Master of Earth. But, alas, that'd be no fun and the use of my last De-Aging Tea would be wasted. So-"

He paused, allowing for the sickening sound of clasping metal to fill the cell. _Clank, clank._ My eyes widened as I felt my arms restrained just above the elbow, making it increasingly harder to hold Kai close to me. Heavy footsteps coming towards me caused me to look up, my jaw clenched in fury as Flagbee came to a halt just a few inches away. Close enough to try to rip Kai away from me.

"Sorry to say I'll be taking your friend here for a few hours," Flagbee said, not sounding at all sorry. That was his first mistake. "And don't you worry, the little guy will be properly taken care of. Now if you'll just hand him over to me without a fuss then-" His fat, greedy arms reached out to take a hold of Kai and _oh, hell, no._ That wasn't happening. In a flash, I swung my leg up between his legs, aiming to kick him where it hurts the most. He screeched in pain, and before he could recover, I came back with another sweep of my legs, completely tripping him so he landed on his back.

That's when Flagbee started calling for backup. "Security!" he cried, I couldn't hold back a snicker as Kai started giggling at our kidnapper's giant form, rolling back and forth in obvious. Flagbee sent a dark glare our way, still keeled on his side. "Oh, you think that's funny, kid? Just you wait. Security, get in here and teach these guys a lesson! Nelson! Peyton!"

I looked up to watch the two figures enter the room and almost burst into another fit of laughter. One of the guys was no older than 14, holding what looked like an airsoft gun and tripping over his own feet as he came through the door. The other guy was huge, taller than me surely, and well-built, but couldn't possibly pose a threat when he had spiked up, pink hair and a foam baseball bat in one hand.

I looked down at Kai, wishing he was in his 18-year-old form, because I knew he'd be getting a kick out of this whole thing. I could picture it now. The look of confusion we'd share before the fearless master of fire was reduced to a puddle of laughter as soon as the pair of guards waltzed into the room, utter disbelief at how unqualified these guys were to be fighting even one of us, chained up and blindfolded. Even as a baby, Kai was staring at the guards in confusion, his expression clearly saying the same thing I was thinking,

 _How did we manage to get kidnapped by these guys again?_ Alas, that was a story for another time, so back to the issue at hand.

The guards stumbled towards their boss, stumbling under his weight as they hoisted him to his feet. Flagbee shook off their arms in clear frustration, gesturing towards me and commanding,

"Hold down his legs, so I can take the stupid kid, would ya?"

My nostrils flared at that. Only I called Kai stupid. But I must admit, the guards did move pretty fast, and with the big guy doing most of the work, they managed to hold down my legs. Which, ya know, they'd regret doing considering it allowed Flagbee to take Kai from my arms.

"No, hey, don't touch him!" I protested fiercely, as Flagbee took Kai into his sweaty, chubby hands. I yanked at the chains surrounding my biceps, hoping they were weak enough that I could wrench out with my super strength. At the same time, a high-pitched, childlike and might I say very enraged screech filled the cell, and I looked up, yanking again at the chains.

"Stupid kid!" Flagbee yelled over Kai's furious wails. He was now flailing in the man's grasp, and I couldn't help the proud grin that crossed my face as his little fists started to smoke. Kai was still Kai, no matter what age. No one was allowed to mess with him, and no one touched him unless he gave them permission. "Ah!" Flagbee screamed, and then he did something that made my vision go red.

He. Dropped. Kai. Time seemed to go in slow motion as I watched my best friend in such a vulnerable, trusting state fly towards the ground. No. No. No. How dare he-

The sickening snap of bone and the piercing wail that elicited from Kai's mouth as he hit the ground had tears springing to my eyes in sympathy and my body trembling in pure rage all at once. I didn't even realize how hard I was yanking at the chains before suddenly, I was flying forward, towards Flagbee. Towards the man that hurt my brother.

I couldn't help the gratifying feeling in my chest as I realized he didn't even have time to blink before I was upon him, throwing punch after punch at his face until I realized he'd definitely been unconscious three punches earlier. I looked up, meeting the shocked and terrified gazes of Flagbee's two incompetent security guards.

I smirked, cracking my knuckles (which were hardly even bruised) as I stood up before them.

The guards glanced from me, to each other, back to me before turning and running the other way, screaming all the while.

Screaming.

Reality came back to me and my face paled, fear creeping its way around my heart as I turned to my brother, who was reduced to a tiny, whimpering child on the stone ground.

"Kai," I called worriedly, falling on my knees beside him.

Immediately, I started looking him over for injuries, but it wasn't hard to see what was wrong as soon as I looked at his left leg. _Oh my…_ I forced the black spots out of my vision, because passing out would not do Kai any good right now. His cries were coming out more feebly now, as he gasped for breath, and I knew he was utterly exhausted. There'd been a lot of action today and to top it off, his leg was completely broken.

I tore off the top half of my ninja gi, remembering the brief first aid training Zane and Nya had given us all. One tip was to always keep the patient warm. I (very gently) lifted Kai's head and slid my shirt underneath him, before softly bundling it around his body. It didn't do much good because Kai's hands and one good leg were flailing every which way. I'd never wished so badly to have the ability to take someone else's pain. If Kai was older, I'd still gladly take on his pain, but now he was a kid, and their pain tolerance was so much lower and and-I reached forward a brushed Kai's hair off his forehead.

"Hey, hey, shh. It's okay, bro, I'm right here." I ignored the fact that I was definitely cooing and reminded myself not to speak of this with Kai when he was back to normal. "We're gonna get you some help, okay, bud?" I didn't know if I should move him. I didn't want to break the leg further, but Kai could go into shock from how the bad the break was and he was in so much pain. I could hardly stand to his tiny, pain-filled cries without wanting to shed tears of my own and feeling my heart squeezing painfully in my chest. What to, what do…

A staticky crackle filled the room, coming from behind me. I looked towards where Flagbee laid, my blood boiling just at the sight of his still out-cold form, but noticing the two devices lying next to him, having fallen out of his pocket. Kai's and my communication devices.

"Cole? Kai? Where are you guys?" It was Jay's voice. "I know you were grocery shopping, and Nya said I was just being paranoid, but you've been gone awhile. Go ahead and laugh at me for asking this but, are you guys okay?"

"Jay!" I cried happily, scrambling for my device. I pressed the com button and spoke into it quickly. "Jay, it's Cole. N-no, we're actually not okay. I mean, we're not dying, and I'm not hurt but Kai is and he's also a baby I need Zane to-"

"Kai is what?!"

"He's a baby," I said again, just as quickly. "But there's no time to explain. After we help him, we can Tomorrow's Tea to turn him back, for now just get Zane to track our location and get us out of here."

"O-okay, you got it, Cole. Hang in there."

I sighed. "Just please hurry." As soon as the line ended, I crawled back to Kai. Now, he was just sniffling and making sad, little whimpers, which honestly were almost more heartbreaking then the screams.

"Hey, shh," I said softly, reach forward to scoop Kai up.

I couldn't resist anymore. My best friend was tiny, hurting child and I felt helpless just sitting here and not comforting him in anyway. I pulled him to my chest again, relieved that he was at least safe in my grasp again. No more Flagbees or any other idiotic people who think they can mess with my brother and get away with it were going to take him from me.

Kai's cries picked up, but I didn't let go. Instead I did something my mom used to do for me to comfort me when I was sick or hurt. I started singing. It felt odd and cheesy at first, but at some point Kai stopped crying even though I was sure his leg still hurt like crazy and a part of me wondered if he was simply shocked that I would be so vulnerable as to sing in front of him.

 _Come, stop your crying. It'll be alright._

Kai's amber eyes widened, as his pitiful whimpers quieted.

 _Just take my hand, hold it tight._

I reached down and let his tiny hand curl around my strong, calloused pointer finger. For a second, I forgot it was Kai I was holding. He reminded me of the little cousin I used to see a lot more often before I became a ninja. I continued the song.

 _I will protect you from all around you._

 _I will be here, don't you cry._

 _For one so small, you seem so strong._ He did.

 _My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm…_

 _(You'll Be in My Heart - Phil Collins from "Tarzan")_

* * *

I made my way out of the building with a sleepy Kai, his eyelids fluttering softly. He still whimpered quite a bit, and I knew he pain couldn't have gone away. But the first thing that met my gaze when I stepped outside was the Bounty, soaring overhead and preparing to stop above us.

Jay was already peering over the railing, clearly worried, but moved into action as soon as he saw us. He ran for the anchor chain hanging from the Bounty's side, and in a flash was sliding down it and running towards.

"Cole! Tell me happened, and where's Ka-" He paused, mouth agape as he stared at the bundle in my arms. "Don't tell me that's...I mean, you weren't serious when you said he was a-"

"It's a long story, Jay, but yes this is Kai. He was turned into a baby and then dropped, and his leg is definitely broken. Get back up on deck, grab Nya and Zane and tell them to prepare the med room, okay? Let them know the situation. And let the gang plank down, will ya?" I asked, but Jay knew it wasn't suggestion.

"Sure thing, Captain." He saluted me, even as I rolled my eyes at his antics, and he raced away, scurry up the chain to get his tasks done as quickly as possible.

I made myself wait an hour before softly knocking on the door to the med room, simultaneously pushing it open. Nya's head came up from it was focused on the current patient, her hand pausing its motion of brushing Kai's hair back from his eyes.

"Still asleep?" I whispered, grimacing as I noticed the bright, red cast on his left leg starting just below his knee and travelling down to his foot. He was back to his normal age, but the injury still transferred and would take at least a few weeks to recover from.

Nya nodded. "Yeah. Sensei said with the Tomorrow's Tea taking effect and the cost of having his leg broken, he's just gonna be exhausted for a while."

I smiled lightly. "Yeah he told me that, too. I'm just...so glad he's gonna okay. And that he's back to normal."

"Me too," Nya said. "Although he was pretty darn adorable as a baby. Maybe he'd be less of a drama queen, too."

I chuckled, knowing that wasn't at all true. "Kai is still Kai, Nya, no matter how old."

She joined me in my laughter, and we both turned our heads to Kai as he began to stir. His eyes blinked open, a slight groan eliciting from his mouth as he came back into reality.

"What the heck happened…" he mumbled, looking from Nya to me where I stood near the foot of the bed. I smiled fondly at the wild mess of hair on his head and patted the red cast very gently.

"I'll tell you later, Hothead. For now, let's just say you're back to your normal, annoying, totally un-adorable self."

Kai's expression turned into a pout, amber eyes wide and pleading. "I don't know what that means, but are you telling me this isn't adorable?"

"Okay, maybe just a little, you big baby," I teased.

Nya and I burst out laughing then, Kai just staring at us both like we'd both grown three extra heads.

* * *

 **I just had to add a baby Kai and Cole bromance moment, huh. *face palms***

 **Let me know what you think about this one in the comments! :D**


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